1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a lamination system for thermocompression bonding of a transparent film on a surface of an ID card on which such as a photograph of a person and personal data are printed. More specifically, the present invention concerns an improvement of a wasteless type lamination system for laminating the transparent film on the surface of the ID card, successively cutting continuous transparent film that has been rolled on a supply roll into a predetermined length, in which a countermeasure for a failure in cutting process of the transparent film is provided.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, ID cards of various type are being widely used. In order to protect an ID card from tampering or to improve the life of the ID card, a transparent film of about 30 microns in thickness is laminated by a thermocompression bonding on a surface of the ID card on which information data are printed. Lamination systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,461 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024 are known as systems suitable for such lamination.
In the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,461, a transparent film pre-cut in a predetermined shape (a patch) is mounted on a carrier (a base sheet). The carrier is provided with sensor marks (index markings) for detecting the position of the pre-cut patch on the carrier. The lamination system detects the sensor mark prior to the lamination to detect the position of the pre-cut patch, then tears the patch from the carrier and laminates the patch on the surface of the printed ID card by thermocompression bonding. Such lamination system is undesirable in view of the operation cost and the protection of environment, since the carrier is thrown away as waste material.
The above problem was solved in a lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024 and the system is being practically used. In this lamination system, a leading edge of a continuous transparent laminate film is drawn out from a supply roll, then transferred along a supply path, then cut in a predetermined length, then laid on a printed ID card transferred along another supply path at the convergence zone of the two supply paths, and then laminated on the surface of the ID card by thermocompression bonding using a heat roller provided at the downstream. This lamination system, called wasteless type lamination system, is advantageous since the laminate film is used after being cut in a necessary length, and accordingly, no waste carrier such as in the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,461 is left.
However, in such wasteless type lamination system as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024, means for detecting a failure in cutting the laminate film by a cutter, that may be caused by exhaustion of service life of the cutter or by other factors, is not provided. Accordingly, there is a problem that, in case that an insufficient cutting of a continuous laminate film is made, the continuous laminate film is laminated on a printed ID card by thermocompression bonding and the printed ID card is heavily spoilt. Such problem causes the rise in the issuance cost of ID cards and prevents tamper-resistant and long life ID cards from spreading.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problem in the prior art and to provide a lamination system that is capable of detecting a failure in cutting of a laminate film, that contributes to lowering the running cost, and that can be provided at a low price.
A lamination system according to the present invention to achieve the above object comprises a first transfer means for transferring a continuous laminate film with a heat-adhesive layer drawn out from a supply roll along a film transfer path, a cutting means provided at the downstream of the first transfer means for cutting the laminate film into a predetermined length, a second transfer means provided at the downstream of the cutting means for transferring the cut laminate film along the film transfer path, a card transfer means for transferring a card along a card transfer path that converges with the film transfer path at a predetermined point of convergence, and a thermocompression bonding means for laminating the cut laminate film with the card at the downstream of the point of convergence, in which a means for detecting a failure in cutting the laminate film is provided.
Further according to the present invention, the means for detecting the failure in cutting the laminate film comprises a film detection means provided at the downstream of the second transfer means, a leading edge of the laminate film is detected by the film detection means, the laminate film is pulled back toward the upstream after cutting action of the cutting means, and the cutting is judged to have failed in cutting the laminate film if an output signal of the film detection means becomes inactivated.
Further according to the present invention, a transfer force of the first transfer means is larger than a transfer force of the second transfer means, the laminate film is pulled back toward the upstream after cutting action of the cutting means by the first transfer means only, and the laminate film is slipped in the second transfer means while being pulled back.
In this lamination system, it is possible to stop the successive lamination process and to take an appropriate recovery action to prevent the printed ID card from being spoilt, when the cutting of the laminate film is insufficient, since the means for detecting the failure in cutting process of the laminate film is provided.
The lamination system can be realized at a low price without adding any additional parts, in case that the transfer force of the first transfer means is made larger than a transfer force of the second transfer means, that the laminate film is pulled back toward the upstream after cutting action of the cutting means by the first transfer means only, and that the laminate film is slipped in the second transfer means while being pulled back.
In another aspect of the lamination system according to the present invention, the means for detecting the failure in cutting the laminate film comprises a film detection means, provided between the cutting means and the second transfer means, that detects the existing of the laminate film, a control means that controls the laminate film to be transferred a predetermined amount after a leading edge of the laminate film is detected by the film detection means is provided, the cutting means is driven to cut the laminate film when transferred length of the laminate film reaches the predetermined amount, then the cut laminate film is further transferred by another predetermined amount, then the existing of the laminate film is examined by the film detection means, and the cutting is judged to have failed in cutting the laminate film if the existing of the laminate film is detected.
In this lamination system, it is also possible to stop the successive lamination process and to take an appropriate recovery action to prevent the printed ID card from being spoilt, when the cutting of the laminate film is insufficient, since the means for detecting the failure in cutting process of the laminate film is also provided.